We’re always on the lookout for fresh and exciting places to ride our e-bikes, and BikePacking Scotland might have just piqued our interest to head up north with the launch of the Go East Lothian Trail, a 63km route on the Edinburgh coastline.
The route features a mix of quiet coastal back roads, gravel tracks, singletrack bridleways and cycle paths, while taking in sections of the John Muir Way, itself a well-known public attraction that runs from Helensburgh on the west coast to Dunbar in the east.
BikePacking Scotland founder Markus Stitz (himself an experienced endurance cyclist with a round the world tour under his belt) set up the route with support from East Lothian Council to provide a family-friendly opportunity for beginners to try out bikepacking for the first time.
“I wanted to create a route that was suitable for people that are new to bikepacking and gives parents the chance to take their children on bikepacking adventures,” he says.
“I was very keen to develop a route I would have loved to ride with my parents in my childhood, and the Go East Lothian Trail is the result.”
The new route exists among some much longer routes available on the BikePacking Scotland website, but the Go East Lothian Trail highlights the best of the Edinburgh coastline, offering riders the chance to explore beaches at Seacliff, Tyninghame, Belhaven and Yellowcraig, as well as local points of interest including John Muir’s birthplace, Archerfield Walled Garden, Smeaton Nursery, East Links Family Park, the Scottish Seabird Centre and Preston Mill.
You can check out the publicity video above; after watching it, we’re hoping to take some time to go and explore the area in the not too distant future ourselves.
